So... cows get pedicures?

TRUE!  Cows get pedicures!  Well.  Kind of.  They dont get to sit and look at Cosmopolitan magazine while a professional rubs their legs, trims their toenails, and paints a design on their toes.  :)  Not saying I do that... ok maybe I do.. dont tell....

But cows do get their toenails trimmed.  As you can imagine, you need a pretty big toenail clipper.  The trimmer doesnt use a supersized toenail clipper, he uses a grinder to slowly trim the toes.  We trim our cows twice a year.  If we didn't, their toes would be crazy long!  When a cow has long toes, she has problems walking and it is very painful for her.

First, the cow walks into the chute.  Then a door closes behind her and two rubber straps come up on her belly to keep her stable.  Next the chute is lifted about 3-4 feet into the air.  This minimizes bending for the trimmer.  The legs are stabalized so she doesn't kick and she's ready to be trimmed!  The trimmer will work on one side and then move to the next. 

Here are a few videos of hooftrimming day.  The chute they are in looks kind of scary but its really just a bunch of hydrolics and metal designed to keep the cow comfortable and the trimmer safe! 

Miss Olive gets a pedicure

#282 gets a pedicure

Its very important to really analyze and reshape the toes.  The trimmer is a trained professional and can tell how healthy a cow is by the bottom of her feet.  Here is what the toes look like after:

Those are some good lookin' toes!

Thanks Mr. Hooftrimmer for letting me stalk you today! :)  Olive especially appreciated it. :)